Former President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria has bared his mind on the solution to the Niger-Delta crisis: “The people in this region feel that though they suffer from the environmental hazards of the exploitation of the God given resources, they do not commensurately benefit from the exploitation of these resources.”

“The agitation predated Nigeria’s existence in 1914. The oil palm produce (palm oil and kernel) was the major raw materials that fed the growth of the Industrial Revolution in Europe, and they largely came from the Niger Delta. Various tribal chiefs, such as King Jaja of Opobo and Nana Olomu, resisted British exploitation of these resources and were both arrested and deposed. These punitive measures did not end the agitations.”

“The discovery of petroleum in the Niger Delta, similar agitations surfaced. These included the Niger Delta Republic, proclaimed by Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro on February 23, 1966. The Federal Government had come up with many interventionist initiatives to pacify the Niger Delta. These include the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, set up by the military administration of Ibrahim Babangida and Niger Delta Development Commission, established by the Olusegun Obasanjo government.”

“The greatest stumbling block of these interventionist agencies was lack of continuity, resulting from an over politicisation of projects as each successive management awards new contracts rather than continue with those awarded by their predecessors and as such, the Niger Delta is littered with many abandoned projects with very few completed projects to show for the huge monies spent.”

“The 13 per cent derivation introduced by Obasanjo had benefited Niger Delta states and their people more than the interventionist agencies. Those who knew Akwa Ibom State before the 13 per cent derivation became law will agree that the derivation fund has changed the face of that state, making it almost overnight one of the most developed states in Nigeria. The same is true with other oil producing states though with varying degrees of development.”

“Military crackdown can create secessionist groups in N’Delta.  I suggest that the Federal Government should adopt the recommendation of the 2014 conference on fiscal federalism. States should be allowed to exploit their natural resources as they deem fit and pay adequate taxes to the Federal Government. This is also the position of the 2014 National Conference.”

“The military crackdown in the Niger Delta will not end the agitation there. It will have the opposite effect of provoking the youths, which will cause them to seek to acquire sophisticated weapons to defend themselves and their communities. This may, in turn, lead to secessionist movements and the reincarnation of the Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro-led revolution and the Biafra Civil War. The Federal Government and the international community must work to avoid this.”